Salt
by radiany
Summary: Things that you deserve to know are never spoken and never acknowledged. Kaijiki talks to Jounouchi about mermaids. [starring smitten!Jounouchi, smitten!Kaijiki, and smitten!Shizuka to create a complicated love triangle]


**Labels** shonen-ai; het; denial; comparisons; incest; strange; unrequited love; OOC; drabble; oneshot; pg13

**[beforehand]**

Plotbunny I've been boasting about to everyone on livejournal –sw-. Kind of sweet, kind of strange, kind of sour. Pretty obvious KaijikiJounouchiShizuka love triangle. Remember, Kaijiki's Mako, Jounouchi's Joey [Katsuya], Shizuka's Serenity to everyone who watches the dub with no sense of Japanese!Yuugiou.

**--**

**Salt**

**--**

She had flowers in her hair – daisies, to be exact.

They were simple, sweet, and commonplace; they were just like her. He had walked along the path to her house, knowing that she would be waiting for him, and had stopped to pick a batch of daisies growing in the fields along the highway.

He had given a sunflower to her brother, smiling pleasantly despite the suspicious look glinting back at him.

Her mother refused to let them use her car, so he had walked into town with her brother by his side; they rented a car, a convertible to be exact. Red; like him.

They had driven to the nearby beach, breezing past the docks and near the line that divided city from countryside. Wind had streamed through their hair, and she had smiled and giggled sweetly while her brother gazed softly at her from the corners of his eyes.

Then, they had stopped. Like a princess, she had waited, polite and considerate despite the glee shining in her eyes. Only after he and her brother opened their doors and began unpacking had she gotten out herself. Afterwards, she had hugged her brother, whispering ecstatically in his ear before rushing downhill and towards the shimmering, blue ocean.

He hadn't noticed her look of longing mingling at his back. He had been watching her brother, who had cast a pained wish of sinful want at the daisy-chain locks entangled in her hair.

Now, they were lying on the sand, towels underneath them and sun block on their skin; so he decided to speak.

"…Jounouchi."

Hazy, blond tresses slid into his eyes as he turned to look at him, question perched unsteadily on his tongue; he had decided to remain quiet until there was something to be spoken. But he continued to shot futile glances at his sister, making sure she was unharmed, and…other things.

Kaijiki watched him for a moment: deep brown eyes, lithe tanned body, and soft gold hair dripping around his head like water.

Like water.

Then Jounouchi moved, wary of the scrutinizing stare, and the vision was broken. Rippled.

"Jounouchi."

Unnerved. "…Yes?"

"I…" Hesitant, but firm, "I want to talk to you…about mermaids."

This earned him a disbelieving stare, and it seemed to take several moments for the statement to sink into his brain. "About…mermaids."

Kaijiki smiled, almost sadly, and gave a small nod. "Yes."

Meanwhile, Jounouchi shook his head in incredulity and caught him with another dry stare and an even drier voice. "You want to talk to me about mermaids."

There was a white blanket of tension that settled between them, but it was soon lifted high above their heads as Jounouchi gave a pleasant laugh and sat up, waving a hand in acceptance. "Okay, so we talk about mermaids. What about them?"

The ridicule, involving Ariel, children, and fairy tales, instantly vanished when he turned to look at Kaijiki, who had a look of calm and seriousness glinting back at him. He shut up.

Kaijiki watched him, his gaze murmuring imperceptible words between them.

_I'm bathed in you. _

_The essence, the fragrance, the aura of you.___

But he doubted that Jounouchi could see through his petal blindfold.

"Did you know that mermaids have a relentless desire for love?"

A curious look.

"They crave it, devour it, then search for it once they've lost the portions they've gained. It's because love is so delicious, and because it's so easy to take."

He thought he heard a hitch in someone's breathing, not knowing if it was Jounouchi or himself. But, almost mechanically, he turned to the waters and looked pointedly at Shizuka. Shizuka, dancing in the spittle of the sea with a flurry of laughter spilling from her throat. Shizuka, with flower chains waving around her neck and entwined into her hair.

Like seaweed.

"Because love is a delicacy, they want to savor every bite."

He felt rather than heard Jounouchi lie back down, turning the opposite direction after a moment's hesitation.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"…That's okay. It wasn't anything important."

When the sun began to set, they both turned to look at Shizuka.

And for the first time, she looked back, legs glistening with beads of ocean and flowers in her hair.

**fin****.**

**[afterward]**

Finished June 21st, 2004.

Written and modified in 75 minutes [one hour, 15 minutes].

711 words.

The prospect of mermaids "eating love" comes from an episode [that I currently can't remember] of Petshop of Horrors, spoken by the infamous Count D xD dances around with a stupid grin on her face I finished it!

It isn't as good as I wanted it to be [does _anything_ ever go the way you want?], but I rather like it. Too much out-of-character-ness though -wince-. The really cheesy "I'm bathed…" lines are from my April 20th, 2003 "Random" lines page.

…Doesn't this remind you of "Incinerate"?

**endlog[****11:48 pm****]**


End file.
